I always smile when I hear a father doting about his child. It’s such a feel-good moment knowing there are kids out there whose dads love them and want the whole world to know how great their little ones are.
In the video below, Art Anderson goes on about his baby, which has big, round eyes; a rosy complexion; and a healthy appetite…for dirt and rocks. Anderson is the chief engineer of the 2015 Jeep Renegade. Like a dad telling a stranger at a softball game about his little slugger’s finer points, he mentions the rig’s stiff platform, single-speed power take-off unit, pair of available four-cylinder engines, and ride-smoothing frequency-sensitive dampers. Of course, he can’t leave out the Renegade lineup’s 30+ mpg highway ratings.
Unfortunately, Anderson’s talking over video of his pride and joy getting over rough terrain, showing off its articulation capabilities, and splashing through mud. It’s as if a guy’s telling me over the phone how well his 20-year-old daughter is doing in college while I’m at a particular type of club watching her earn money for her textbooks in a pair of high heels. I have to say I tuned out a little.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
